5 Things About Chronic Prostatitis that May Interest You!

Chronic pelvic pain or chronic prostatitis is a very likely scenario for many men. The epidemiology of the disease is quite wide. Various studies claim that up to 15% of men are diagnosed with CP/CPPS after their visit to the urologists with symptoms that may indicate prostatitis. Now, CP/CPPS are not induced by bacteria and cause a rich variety of symptoms and thus harder to identify than bacterial types of prostatitis.

CP/CPPS is a very common condition and roughly 10% of men after 40 struggle with reoccurring pelvic pains. The treatment of the condition may include a variety of methods including physiological procedures (prostate massage, manual therapy, heat), medications (alpha-blockers, antibiotics, NSAIDs, etc.), and/or surgical interventions in some severe cases. Prostatitis is definitely not the worse that can happen to a man, but there are still serious concerns that accompany the condition. Here are 5 things that can be useful to you, if you are concerned about chronic prostatitis.

Number 1. Symptoms Do Not Get Worse.

For many patients with CP/CPPS this is a good news. A collaboration research conducted by a group of practicing doctors from Harvard Medical School and the National Institutes of Health showed that symptoms in patients that do not use antibiotics and aggressive means of prostatitis treatment reduce over time and eventually stabilize. Less than 14% of patients that participated in the research reported that their condition worsened.

The study accounted for results received during the treatment of patients who did not participate in any test treatment programs or evaluations of new therapy methods. On top of that, all participants should have been off antibiotics for at least 3 months prior to their entering the study.

The results are more than optimistic for all men. The study showed that traditional means of treatment are efficient enough to induce improvements over time. Less than 15% of men report that their symptoms deteriorated. Notably, Caucasian men were more likely to improve their condition compared to African-Americans and Asian men. Even those with truly concerning symptoms experience at least minor improvement over time.

In general, this means that we all can exhale. The condition is more than controllable even without aggressive treatment. A bombardment of NSAIDs and antibiotics may drastically improve the condition and alpha-blockers can help too. So don’t be afraid, you will get better. Eventually.

Number 2. Three out of Four Patients Experience Pains During Sex.

Now, this is a much less optimism inducing news. A statistical research conducted by Daneil A. Shoskes from the National Institutes of Health shows that 75% of men experience post-ejaculatory pains and struggle to enjoy their sexual intercourses due to the severity of such pains. The conclusion of the study also brings to the light a very concerning summary – these men usually have bad symptoms of prostatitis on top of having issues with their sexual life. Another problem that I personally have with this study is that it is actually quite reliable since it covers data received from 486 patients…

One of the issues with this symptom is that it is highly unpredictable. Post-ejaculatory pains can be experienced by patients regardless of the clinical picture of their prostatitis. Another interesting thing is that some men actively avoid ejaculating due to the discomfort and pain while other men actually feel better after ejaculating. Instead of clearing up something about prostatitis, this study actually does not tell us nothing important.

Knowing that 3 out of 4 men are having problems in their sexual lives is actually quite depressing. However, we can sweeten this bitter news by our next thing that you may not know about prostatitis and this thing is

Number 3. You Don’t Have to Avoid Sex.

While pain can be a complete fun-blocker when it comes to sex, you don’t have to avoid sexual activities due to the infection. Firstly, CP/CPPS is not caused by bacteria and you won’t “reward” you partner with anything dangerous. Secondly, even during acute bacterial invasions, prostatitis is not caused by sexually transmitted bacteria and infections. However, there are certain scenarios when the inflammation is actually caused by specific STIs.

An STI-induced prostatitis is usually followed by uncharacteristic for regular prostatitis symptoms like sores and inflammations on your genitals or weird discharges that come out from your penis. These are troubling manifestations. If you have them, avoid sexual activities until your condition is thoroughly inspected by a doctor.

Otherwise, you don’t have to avoid sex. It can be painful or uncomfortable, but you still can have it.

Number 4. CP/CPPS and Its Severity Do Not Depend on Inflammation/Bacteria.

While many specialists have been sure that there was a strong correlation between the severity of CPPS symptoms and inflammation/bacteria population, recent studies proved them wrong. In fact, there is no correlation between these factors at all. CPPS symptoms do not deteriorate when the count of bacteria is rising. Neither they change in response of an increased inflammation.

The study implies that traditional approaches employed by various medical specialists are actually slightly off the right course. Many doctors suggest antimicrobial and/or anti-inflammatory methods of treatment prescribing a variety of NSAIDs and other drugs to counteract the effects of inflammation and bacterial invasions. However, the clinical picture proves to be much wider and requires a more sophisticated response from your medical crew. In some scenarios, the very nature of prostatitis is completely different and CPPS symptoms may be caused by factors unrelated to either inflammation or bacteria.

Next time your doctor asks you to start a course of NSAIDs that seemingly don’t help, you should definitely think about changing your strategy.

Number 5. Men Spend Over $1000 on Average on Prostatitis Treatment.

Various studies demonstrate that prostatitis is a huge hit to one’s budget. 3-month worth of treatment may cost you anywhere from $10 to $11000 depending on the range of therapeutic methods and the severity of your symptoms. The average direct cost of treatment was estimated at the mark of $935. However, this no the end of the matter and there are other losses that are caused by the disease indirectly.

Using a wide variety of analysis methods, Dr. Calhoun of Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago suggested that on average patients lose $517 due to the loss in productivity. Over 59% of patients reported that their condition significantly reduced their ability to work normally. Over 77% of men said that they couldn’t work properly for at least 4 hours per day. Average medical expenditures by these men were estimated at $688. From nearly 180 participants of the research 14 had to undergo a hospitalization. The average cost of the hospitalization was hefty $18,633.

This means that on average men spend over $1000 to treat prostatitis and roughly 8% may require to spend nearly $20,000 on hospitalization. Now, that’s expensive…